IRC’s approach understands that the failure of services is a symptom of the failure of systems: calling for systems change and systems strengthening. It is anchored in both a conceptual understanding of the theory of systems change and the practical business of identifying and strengthening the building blocks for effective service delivery. Many of these building blocks overlap – and which ones are most important to WASH service delivery can change according to time or context. The core element of systems strengthening is that for WASH services to be delivered, all building blocks must be present and working to at least a minimum level.

Driving change in systems requires collective action by key members of the system. This collective action needs to be supported by a change hub: a structure to support learning and evidence-based change in policy and practice. (Moriarty, 2017).

Publications

Aguaconsult, IRC, WaterAid & Water for People, 2015. An agenda for change : achieving universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) by 2030 : principles paper. The Hague, The Netherlands: IRC. 6 p.Four leading international water, sanitation and hygiene organisations IRC, WaterAid, Aguaconsult, and Water For People join hands in the run-up to the new Sustainable Development Goals. This is their set of shared principles to achieve universal access to water and sanitation by 2030.

Casella, D., Van Tongeren, S. & Nikolic, I., 2015. Change in complex adaptive systems : a review of concepts, theory and approaches for tackling ‘wicked’ problems in achieving sustainable rural water services, The Hague, The Netherlands: IRC. 37 p.The domain of inquiry of this review is the rural water sector in low- and middle-income countries.

Duti, V., Korboe, D. & Ayi-Bonte, V., 2015. Facilitating change in a complex environment : delivering rural water services in Ghana, Accra, Ghana: IRC. 4 p.Between 2009-2014 IRC through the Triple-S project supported Ghana's rural water agency CWSA to build consensus around a new vision of adequate water services that are sustained over time and to develop an approach to make that vision a reality.

Galli, G., Nothomb, C. & Baetings, E., 2014. Towards systemic change in urban sanitation. (IRC working paper) The Hague, The Netherlands: IRC. 36 p.In an increasingly urbanising world, with some 863 million people living in informal urban settlements in 2012 (based on UN estimates), there is a clear need to start tackling one of the more pressing issues of urbanisation: the sanitation problems that arise when large numbers of people populate dense urban environments.

Moriarty, P., 2017. IRC strategy framework 2017-30 : building WASH systems to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals, The Hague, The Netherlands: IRC. 33 p.This document presents IRC's overarching strategic framework and theory of change for the years 2017 to 2030, together with a set of priority actions and objectives for the period 2017-21.

Schouten, T & Moriarty, P, 2013. The Triple-S theory of change (Triple-S working paper 3). The Hague, The Netherlands: IRC. 17 p.This working paper sets out the theory of change that guides IRC's Triple-S project. At the heart of this approach is a vision of how the rural water sector needs to function to provide sustainable services.

Smits, S. & Lockwood, H., 2015. Reimagining rural water services : the future agenda (Briefing notes series - Building blocks for sustainability). The Hague, The Netherlands: IRC. 8 p.An introduction to ten building blocks to support sustainable service delivery.

Tools

IRC has developed a set of tools for delivering change. These tools support the broad-based processes of experimentation, adaptation and learning necessary to get the entire, complex system of people, organisations and institutions working together effectively to deliver services that last.

Videos

It's about the systems, stupid | Patrick Moriarty | TEDxDenHelder, 2017. TEDx TalksWe live in a society that consists of complex systems like Healthcare, Education and Sanitation. But despite this we are systems blind. We are not willing to invest in long-term solutions and instead focus on quick wins and opportunist leaders. What can we learn from people who are building systems in third world countries? What are the long term costs of quick wins?

Blogs

Casella, D., 2015a. Twice as long and twice as expensiveLessons from a 'reorganisation' of the Netherlands's police force: a reality check on what it takes to deliver large-scale systemic change for improved public services.

Casella, D., 2015b. Fostering whole system change – a review of theory and approaches from the complexity sciencesDriving, catalysing, supporting, acting as a backbone to foster sector change is what IRC is all about.

Fonseca, C., 2017. Systems change at district level: where do we start? The case of South Ari, EthiopiaAsset inventory is essential in Ethiopia to develop more realistic planning to increase functionality as well as coverage.

Moriarty, P., 2017a. IRC’s new Global Strategy Framework – Long-term commitment to partner districtsOver the coming years, IRC will work to support partner districts to bring sustainable WASH services to everyone: at least one million people.

Moriarty, P., 2017b. The Whole System IS the SystemAsking whether building hardware is better than a WASH systems approach is like asking whether building bicycle wheels is better than creating a transport network.

Moriarty, P., 2016. It is all about systemsProviding water, sanitation and hygiene services that last forever for everyone, is all about systems.

Moriarty, P., 2015a. Paying the piper: 3 things donors can do to drive real changeWe all know that "he who pays the piper calls the tune" - but what if the tune is the wrong one for the times? Can pipers push for new tunes? IRC's CEO Patrick Moriarty thinks so.